Kensington Croquet Club

History is a funny thing. 💚

One day, everything we do at our club will become part of its history and help tell the story of why Kensington Croquet Club is what it is today.

With only 122 days to go until our Centennial, I thought I'd share this wonderful piece of our past. This page, from a 1968 Northland magazine, captures the opening of the croquet season. More than just a photograph, it reflects the community behind the club—the friendships formed, the social gatherings, and the memories created on and off the lawns.

One lovely detail from the photo is Mrs Johnson, the Mayoress of Whangārei, being presented with a spray of flowers. Mrs Johnson was a familiar face at our season openings and was a wonderful supporter of the club over many years.

To those in the photo, it was simply another day of croquet. To us, it's a chance to look back and appreciate the people whose dedication, friendship, and love of the game helped shape the club we know today.

If you've been part of Kensington over the years, we'd love to hear your stories. Whether they're funny moments, memorable tournaments, lifelong friendships, or the challenges you've helped the club overcome, every memory is a valuable part of our history and our journey to 100 years.

With only 132 days to go until our Centennial, we’ve been diving into the archives and uncovering the rich history left behind by our predecessors.

One photo in particular brought us a lot of joy — simple, but deeply meaningful. It shows our patron at the time, Jean Hogarth, our President Everitt Noble, Vice President George Depree, and Pam Herbert (NCA Secretary) happily braving the rain together at the season opening. ☔💚

This picture is a beautiful reminder of what our club has always been about — community, connection, and working together for the success of croquet. It’s these moments that have shaped Kensington into the club it is today.

🌿 Winter Croquet & Learning AC 🌿

And so the winter season begins! During our AGM, we discussed setting up a half lawn dedicated to learning Association Croquet (AC) on Saturday — and the response has been fantastic.

We’ve already seen several of our own members consistently coming along to give AC a try, along with players from other clubs feeling confident enough to join in as well.

Last weekend was our very first session, and to say it went well would be an understatement. We were thrilled to welcome Brenda from Kerikeri Club, and we already know of several more players keen to come along before winter weather eventually slows things down.

A huge thank you goes to Steve Hopkins, one of Kensington’s experienced AC players, who has been generously sharing his knowledge, guidance, and encouragement while helping everyone learn the game in a practical, hands-on way.

This weekend, players learnt more about bisques — when to use them strategically and how to avoid the tempting “wiper effect” of using too many too quickly! There were plenty of laughs, learning moments, and growing confidence on the lawns.

We’re excited to see where this journey takes us and would love to see more players across Northland discovering and enjoying Association Croquet. 💚🏑

🌿 Kensington Croquet Club AGM 🌿

Our AGM has come and gone, with plenty discussed, debated, and celebrated as we wrapped up another fantastic season together. While club days will continue through the off-season, this was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the year and look ahead to the next.

A big thank you to Mike Cuff for his time as Club Captain, and congratulations to Bill Paynter for stepping into the role. We know the club is in great hands.

We also farewelled Janis Langman as Secretary after many years of dedication and hard work in the role. Thank you, Janis, for everything you have done for the club. We’re excited to welcome Pamela Lawson as our new Secretary and know she will do an amazing job.

Thank you as well to Robyn Thomas and Lynn Bowater for their contributions as committee members. While we are sad to see you step down, we are pleased to welcome Catie Cottle and Jo Paynter onto the committee.

We would also like to acknowledge the continued support of the Northland Croquet Association (NCA) for helping Kensington players continue to grow their love for the sport.

A huge congratulations goes to Martin Taylor, who was awarded Most Improved Player. Having only started this season, Martin has shown incredible growth and determination, continuing to impress everyone he plays against. We look forward to seeing his progress over the coming years.

Finally, thank you to all our members for the time, effort, and care you put into our club — from helping run events to welcoming new members and maintaining the wonderful spirit of Kensington. We’re already looking forward to another great season ahead. 💚🏑

🏆 Lanna Morgan Tournament 🏆

What an interesting day we had! After being postponed due to bad weather the week before, we were able to host the Lanna Morgan (Advantage Doubles) on Monday.

With 10 teams entered from across Northland Croquet Clubs, it was a day of steady competition — not just against each other, but also the ever-changing weather! 🌦️

Block Winners:
🏅 Block A: Lyness Turnbull & Annie Topi (3 wins)
🏅 Block B: CW & Ollie Bigelow (Whangārei, 4 wins)

The playoff saw Whangārei take control, securing the win 7–2 and claiming the trophy for the second year in a row.

Congratulations to all players for a great day of croquet, and a big well done to Whangārei Croquet Club!

We’ll be looking forward to challenging for the title again next year 💚🏑

🌧️ Kaitaia Newbies Tournament – A Day to Remember! 🌧️

What a day we had up in Kaitaia for the Newbies Tournament — definitely one for the books! The weather threw everything at us, and we well and truly experienced it all… rain pouring off hats, squelching shoes, and yes — completely soaked through!

Despite the conditions, everyone showed great determination and kept their spirits high.
Results highlights:

Errol narrowly missed taking out Group A, coming second by just one hoop

Wally came away with two wins (possibly three, with one default)

The rest of Group A saw some very even competition, with several players each securing a win

Chris took out Group A by just one hoop ahead of Errol

Annie (Kaitaia) won Group B

With everyone thoroughly wet, cold, and tired, it was agreed to call it there with no playoff — a very fair decision given the conditions!

A tough but memorable day, full of laughs, resilience, and great effort from everyone involved. 💚

Shout out to our photographer Brian Lawson for getting photos for us 😀

Silver Badges AC

We had two players represent us in this year’s AC Silver Badges — Steve Hopkins, competing in the Intermediate grade and always encouraging others in our club to give it a go, and Cheyenne Cottle, competing in the Junior grade and proudly following in Steve’s footsteps as one of his learners.

They faced strong competition from Whangārei Croquet Club, with opponents bringing many years of experience to the lawns.
The format for the day was best of three games, with a 2.5-hour time limit (Law 61) in place.

Cheyenne started her matches with confidence, making clean roquets and setting up her hoops well, taking her games 12–5 and 16–6.

Steve also played with consistency and control, staying focused throughout to secure wins of 13–8 and 13–6.

We are incredibly proud of both players and the way they represented our club. Their performances are a reflection of their hard work and growing skill, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve next. 💚🏑

Silver Badges Tournament

Our Silver Badges team consisted of Brian Lawson (Primary Grade), Cheyenne Cottle (Intermediate Grade), and Mike Cuff (Senior Grade), proudly representing Kensington.

Brian had a busy day playing two round robins, meaning six games in total. He played exceptionally well and finished 2nd overall with four wins, narrowly missing out on first place by just one game.

Cheyenne faced four 19-point games in the Intermediate Grade. After a slow start, she found her rhythm and fought back strongly to secure two wins, earning 2nd place.

Mike also played four 19-point games in the Senior Grade. Facing some very strong competition, he battled hard throughout the day and finished with two wins.

Congratulations to the winners.
Annette Molloy (Primary)
Ros O'Malley (Intermediate)
Mait Cole (Senior)

It was a brilliant day of competition, bringing together some of the best players from around Northland.

A massive thank you to Lynda Smalls of the NCA for organising such a well-run event, and to our fantastic referees Audrey Childs, Brenda, Dennis Langman, and Janis Langman for keeping the games running smoothly with patience and care.

We would also like to thank Whangārei Croquet Club for hosting the event, providing their beautiful lawns and welcoming clubhouse—and even arranging for the sun to come out as the day progressed!

💚🏑